Clinton silent after Powell undermines email argument

Hillary Clinton's campaign is steering clear of confronting Colin Powell's comments after the former secretary of state said he did not advise her to use a private email server to send classified emails.

"Hillary Clinton has consistently taken responsibility for her decision to use a single email account, and as she has said for over a year now, it was a mistake and she regrets it," Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon told NBC when asked about Powell.

The Bush administration official denounced Clinton's comments over the weekend, alleging she tried to blame the problem on him.

"Her people have been trying to pin it on me," the former secretary of state said in an interview published Sunday night. "The truth is, she was using [the private email server] for a year before I sent her a memo telling her what I did."

The scandal was prompted by a forthcoming book by former President Bill Clinton, who claims Powell told Clinton in 2009 to employ a private server for her personal emails.

Republican nominee Donald Trump jumped in to the debate Monday night while addressing attendees at a rally in Akron, Ohio.

"Colin Powell just proved again how dishonest Hillary Clinton is after he busted her for trying to pin her email scandal on him – one more Hillary Clinton lie," Trump said.